In all my sorting so far, I couldn’t give away this one green shirt. I went looking for it tonight before I remembered I wore it the other day. Fall is the time of year when this shirt cycles in and out my closet every week. It’s my favorite for this weird transitional phase in the weather. The mornings and nights are cool, but I refuse to wear long sleeves for the whole day yet. Three-quarter sleeves are better and this green shirt fits that requirement.

The funny thing is I’ve had this shirt for years. I probably bought it in middle school, maybe early high school. I remember going to the mall with a friend from school and I was excited to have her there to help me pick out a new shirt. This green shirt was it!

My question now is: how does it still fit? Was I swallowed by the shirt back then? I don’t think I was, but I’ve grown a lot since I bought it. I grew those 4 inches to my ideal height and I’m definitely a little heavier than I used to be. But I can still wear my shirt.

Of course, there are other clothes I can still wear years later. I let a bunch of pieces go because I wasn’t keeping them for the memories really. And my style has changed as I’ve become an adult.

I don’t want to look like I’m a teenager or even just beginning my 20s. I want to look like my age, a 31 year old. This can be tricky because I’m a 31 year old who happens to shop in the kids department. Have you looked at the girls’ clothing choices? Some things are wacky or covered with lots of graphics or not my style. It’s not always easy to find good options for a lasting wardrobe.

(One benefit of being small and rarely wearing out clothes: they last in my closet for a long time…until I grow tired of them or styles drastically change.)

But I’ve found the places to go for certain items. And now I have an eye for the pieces that will work. That’s the other trick — buying clothes I can actually put on. At least we’ve figured out easy ways to modify clothes too. I will say whoever invented the adjustable waists in pants is a real genius. I needed that throughout my whole childhood. Putting tucks in pants was my #1 need every time. Not anymore.

Oh yea, and the green shirt never needed an alteration.

This was a Five Minute Friday post on the word “green”. I’m still writing my way through October with #write31days posts.

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